Now that Thanksgiving is over, it’s time to contemplate bringing all those boxes down from the attic in order to deck the halls with Christmas delights.
I’m not a big interior decorator, unless you count “lived-in” a design style. Between the day job, writing, and keeping up with three kids, it’s about all I can manage to get the beds made and the dishes done. Decorating is far down on the priority list. Until Christmas.
My husband is in charge of the lights and other outdoor decorations while the indoors is my domain. One of my favorite hobbies is cross-stitching, and Christmas is the time of year where my love of stitchery becomes readily apparent. From ornaments on the tree, to the Christmas tree skirt, to art on the walls, to the stockings on the mantle. You’ll find it everywhere you look. Perhaps I’ve gone a bit overboard, but each piece brings back memories of years gone by. From the stockings that were stitched during the first year of each of my children’s lives to the most recent addition of a Celtic maiden decked out in Christmas finery from last year. These pieces chronicle my family’s Christmases past.
When it comes to the outside domain, my favorite part is the Christmas tree my husband fashions on the roof. It came about when we were going through old strings of lights several years ago, and he decided to get creative with a bunch of leftover green lights that didn’t match the multicolored strands we were using for the rest of the house. Other houses in the neighborhood might have fancier ornamentation, but no one else has a tree on the roof. It always makes me smile.
- What unique decorating traditions does your family engage in at Christmas?
May the Lord bless us all with a healthy dose of peace and sanity as the 2015 holiday season gets underway.
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder:
and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father,
the Prince of Peace.
~ Isaiah 9:6 ~
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With a heavy leaning on my German heritage, we hang a glass pickle ornament on the tree. This year, we can’t put up the tree because of an infestation that will cause three fumigations over the holidays. I am simply grateful that I have my spouse and our family as we postpone our celebrations aswe begin downsizing while we pack up stuff
I’ve never heard of the pickle ornament, Andrea. Where does that tradition stem from? Sounds fascinating.
It’s a bummer that you won’t be able to have a tree, but I trust you will find ways to make the holiday special.
I’m decorating here at my house, too, Karen! We have two unique decorating traditions. 1) A little ‘village’ of Christmas houses that I set up on my dining room table each year. It’s a big favorite of my kids. My 5 year old, in fact, is the one who goaded me into getting out the decorations a few days ago just so she could play with the village. 🙂 2) A felt calendar that my mom made for us that looks exactly like the calendar she made for my sisters and me when we were small. Each day of the month you stick a little felt design (a candle, a star, a wreath, etc) onto the felt backing. Priceless!
I love those Christmas villages, Becky! So quaint and fun. My daughter has a Disney inspired version that she sets out on her dresser every year. And your advent calendar sounds precious! Handmade, too. Even more special. 🙂 I had an advent calendar for years that we would hang on the wall. It was wooden and had a little drawer for every day with a nativity character in it that could be hung on the scene above. Baby Jesus was the last to come out on Christmas Eve. I loved that calendar. Unfortunately, it fell off the wall on year and broke. We haven’t replaced it since my kids are older now, but hearing you talk about yours makes me wonder if I should try to replace it.
We used to put iceicle lights outside on the house. We have a 2 story house and we did the top and around the porch. It was breath taking. We put a lite up nativity with large figurines of Mary and Joseph and Baby Jesus in the manager. There was a shepherd and the three wise men , a lamb ,cow and of coarse the donkey. All this we put on the porch.
After we got older we stopped climbing on top of the house and putting the lights up there. Then we had a telescoping flag pole. We bought a kit from the manufacturer of the flag pole for a large Christmas tree and it was always some doing to get the thing up with out tangling the strings of lights. There was a certain way of doing it and with a lot of patience applied. The neighbor usually helped. That was good for a dinner out. (lol). Since we are lack front property the side of the house facing the road is the back of the house. The side facing the lake was where the tree of lights was. What a beauty that was and it could be Sen from all over. One year we had high winds and one of the strands of lights broke loose from where it was secured. It was still fastened to the top of the tree. The wind blew it straight out and all we could see was a strand of lights going straight out from the tree. I thought ” How strange is that.”
Now unfortunately my husband hasn’t been well this past year and we are losing interest in all that work. This is the first year for the tree of lights to not be assembled and put up. Kind of depressing , but then we still have the real meaning of Christmas and why we celebrate it!
Blessings
Shirley
I love Christmas lights, and yours sound gorgeous! I remember when my husband and I were dating and he took me home with him for a weekend in December when we were in college. We went driving through the ritzy areas of Dallas and just looked at the lights. There was one overpass where we looked down on a sprawling neighborhood covered in white lights. It took my breath away.
I’m sad that your husband’s health is keeping him from getting your more extensive lights up this year, but you are so right to keep the true spirit of Christmas alive. Maybe you be blessed this season, Shirley. 🙂
Love your roof tree — Santa won’t miss your house, that’s for sure! I’m a more homespun, rustic kind of Christmas person so that’s what my house looks like at Christmas. Lots of homemade ornaments and wrapping. Love cross stich too and adore your Celtic maiden. I haven’t tackled anything that ambitious but do a lot of ornaments that I tend to give away. And since my family is small — just my daughter and me — we have a Christmas tree decorating party where friends come over to help us and we always serve crepes for a brunch-fest.
What a lovely idea, Kav – to invite friends over for brunch and tree decorating. That sounds lovely!
I’m cross-stitching several ornaments as gifts this year, too. Stayed up late last night finishing the last one of a set that will be going to my Secret Sister at church. Our big reveal party is tonight, so I’m cutting things a little close. Ha!
Love your beautiful cross-stitched Celtic maiden–shows you are patient a nd talented–and your dh’s light tree on the roof! My dh’s favorite thing is a beautiful large nativity set given to him by his family. We had an older neighbor many years ago who was very kind to our kids, and wanted to give them something, so she gave them an unusual candle she had–it’s a jersey cow with a Santa hat. (We call it the Christmas Cow.) She was so sweet to them that we still put it out every year, right alongside the beautiful porcelein nativity figurines, and say it’s a good reminder that everyone is welcome to the stable, to celebrate Christ’s birth. 🙂
What a beautiful way to honor your neighbor, Karen. Love the Christmas cow in the stable with the rest of the animals. 🙂 Those large nativity sets are so pretty. I bet your yard gets many oohs and aahs as people drive by.
I grew up in Michigan and can’t remember stories about women lighthouse keepers and Great Lakes pirates. What an interesting idea for a series!
I love to spend time with my husband and family on special occasions.